. >> reporter: 38-year-old melissa rodriguez was among the crowd in new york city.-time home health care worker who makes $10 and hour and is struggling to make ends meet. >> i'm working diligently working hard trying my best. giving my patients they work for the best that i can and that's all i'm asking for $15 so my kids can have a better place to live. so my kids can eat. >> reporter: she says she doesn't want to be on food stamps and welfare but has no other options despite her full-time job. even celebrities like paltrow has haven up the cause. trying to live on $29 a week in food to raise awareness. paltrow drew criticism for picking items like kale and limes. >> income inequality is one of the 2k3wr5i9est issues of our time right now. this has been simmering a long time. it is almost as if it just caught fire. >> reporter: some states raised the minimum wage above the federal guideline of $7.25 an hour, 14 states have not. >> are you hoping to change the pay structure in the u.s.? >> i hoping to change -- have more of an emphasis on leadership. to me leadersh